Wout van Aert will miss next month’s Tour de France after an elbow injury and infection forced the Belgian off the start list. The 31-year-old Paris‑Roubaix winner fell in training ahead of last week’s Tour Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes and developed an infection at the injury site. Van Aert spent a night in hospital for wound cleaning but his elbow has not healed sufficiently for Tour racing.
“The Tour de France is one of my main goals every year,” van Aert said. “Unfortunately, a crash during training has put a spanner in the works and the injury to my elbow has worsened and has still not healed sufficiently.” The star rider had been in strong form this spring, notably beating Tadej Pogačar to win Paris‑Roubaix, and was expected to play a key role for Team Visma alongside four‑time Grand Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard.
Visma will name van Aert’s replacement on 23 June. The 2026 Tour de France begins in Barcelona on 4 July.
